Comprehensive Estate Planning Services
If you have been meaning to plan your estate or update estate planning documents, now is the time to act. None of us knows what the future will bring, and it is important to ensure that your loved ones will be taken care of in your eventual absence.
When you call Joseph H. Beale, Attorney At Law, PLLC, you can attend to these details quickly, efficiently and thoroughly.
Which Estate Planning Tools Will You Need?
Everyone is different, which is why an estate plan can and should be customized to you. However, there are certain tools that I find valuable for many clients. They include:
A last will and testament: This document catalogues your important assets and clearly defines to whom they should be given upon your death. A well-written will avoids ambiguity, increasing the chances that your wishes will be honored and reducing the chances of inheritance disputes among your loved ones.
Your will can also name guardians for your minor children, in the (hopefully unlikely) event that such an arrangement ever becomes necessary.
A living trust: Also known as a revocable trust, this legal tool allows you to transfer your assets into the trust and continue to manage them during your lifetime. When you pass away or become mentally incapacitated, a chosen trustee will take over and the trust will become irrevocable. Living trusts can help you avoid probate and maintain control over your assets until such time as you are no longer able to exercise that control.
A living will: Estate planning isn’t just about asset and wealth transfer. It also involves planning for and communicating about late-life medical care. By drafting a living will, you can express your wishes and preferences in the event of a medical emergency or near the time of death. If there are certain procedures you do or do not want, these should be listed in the document.
Health care power of attorney: This person is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf if you can no longer make or communicate those decisions yourself.
Advance medical directive: This is a combination of a living will and health care power of attorney. I will help you determine whether this is the right choice for you based on your individual decisions about your care.
Taking Care Of Others: Guardianships And Conservatorships
In addition to doing your own estate planning, you may need to take care of someone who can no longer take care of himself or herself. Perhaps you have an aging parent suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia. Maybe you have an adult child with special needs whom you will continue to care for. In such cases, I can help you petition the court for the legal authority required to make important decisions on your loved one’s behalf.
Have More Questions About Estate Planning? Contact My Firm For Answers.
With offices in Aldie and Herndon, Joseph H. Beale, Attorney At Law, PLLC, serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. To discuss your estate planning needs with an experienced lawyer, call me at 571-335-3735. You can also fill out this convenient online contact form.